2010 Cadillac SRX 3.0 V6 AWD

Downsizing trims the sticker, but theres another price to pay.

As GM wobbled toward bankruptcy, the company’s boosters often cited Cadillac as proof that at least one division knew the secret for success. But stroll through a Cadillac showroom. The DTS isn’t even on your Uncle Marvin’s radar. The pretty but aging STS has been nudged onto the berm by at least five luxo-sports sedans, none from America. The angular XLR, a marketing spinoff from the Corvette shop, has been euthanized. There are a couple of embarrassingly immense Escalades. And then there’s the CTS—in truth, the lone vehicle that carries the division’s reputation on its back. And so it was with huge anticipation that we welcomed this all-new SRX, a crossover we’ve loved since the day it was introduced in, uh, wow, 2004.

In the Detroit Three’s universe, new models usually arrive bigger and heavier. Not this time, Cadillac promised. In fact, the SRX has been yanked from the $50K, V-8 luxo-ute niche, where it was nonetheless strong, finishing second to an Acura MDX in a C/D comparo in 2007. Problem is, the SRX now parachutes into the killer $40K-crossover class, where it faces, among other all-stars, Audi’s stunning Q5 3.2 Quattro (the winner of July’s “New Arrivals for Summer” comparo), not to mention the beyond-dominant sales king in the segment, the Lexus RX350, itself recently refurbished unto the zenith of plushness.

This latest SRX is now driven through the front wheels rather than the rears. Length is down by 4.6 inches, height by 2.1 inches, and wheelbase by 5.9 inches. No longer are seven passengers welcome; five’s the limit. In either front- or all-wheel-drive iterations, three trim levels are available: Luxury, Performance, and Premium.

The 320-hp, Northstar V-8 has been broomed; a 265-hp, direct-injection V-6 is the base engine. An optional, 300-horse turbo V-6, built in Australia for Saab and Holden, will arrive this fall. With either engine, a six-speed automatic is attached. Cadillac insists vehemently that this new SRX shares only its powertrain with the Chevy Equinox and the Saturn Vue. Otherwise—Cadillac’s words, here—“It has no commonality with the Theta platform.”________________________________________________________________

2010 Cadillac SRX4 interior

________________________________________________________________

What you instantly notice about the SRX is that its cabin equals or exceeds anything in the class. The materials are superb: “Pearl-nickel chrome” accents that look like silver satin and spears of walnut trim that blend magically into hand-cut-and-sewn leather. The elegant compound curves in the door handles make them look like Georg Jensen jewelry. Nowhere will your elbows strike anything hard. An eight-speaker Bose stereo is standard, and there’s a clever dial on the driver’s door that controls how far the liftgate rises, preventing it from banging into your garage ceiling.

The center stack is easy to learn, and just under the optional pop-up nav screen reside two large rotary controls, one for volume, the other for tuning. Thank you. The front seats are quite firm and bolstered perfectly; they would make a BMW engineer proud. The steering adjusts for reach and rake, and the pedals are also adjustable. The 60/40 rear seatbacks fold flat, although the cushions neither slide nor tumble forward. With the rear seats flat, the cargo bay will swallow nearly the same sheet of plywood that the roomy RX350 can ingest, and the Caddy will carry three bonus cases of beer. If you don’t order the optional spare tire (an electric inflator is the standard roadside fix), there’s a nice-size well under the cargo floor, perfect for hiding purses and briefcases. Rear-seat comfort for two is excellent, but a third rider will have to straddle the center console, which protrudes too far rearward.

Although the stubby backlight and huge C-pillars do damage to the rear three-quarter view, the side mirrors are huge. And when you select reverse, objects astern are televised on the nav screen.